Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 20 March 2018, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD011044
- The review identified studies (n=42) in people with pancreatic cancer that could not be operated on (locally advanced) or that had already spread beyond the pancreas (metastatic). The studies involved 9463 participants who were receiving their first therapy for pancreatic cancer.
- This review has shown that in advanced disease, combination chemotherapy with FOLFIRINOX (5-fluorouracil, irinotecan, oxaliplatin combination); GEMOXEL (gemcitabine, oxaliplatin and capecitabine); cisplatin/epirubicin/5FU/gemcitabine; gemcitabine plus nab-paclitaxel; and gemcitabine plus a fluoropyrimidine agent, provide a survival advantage over gemcitabine alone. These combinations do increase side effects. Gemcitabine given slowly using a fixed rate of infusion may be more effective than giving it in the standard way, which is quickly over 30 minutes.
